DitF: Continuity
by shiny090501
Summary: A continuation of where the Darling in the Franxx anime ended. (Ep.24)
1. Prologue

Prologue

She looked at the reflection in the puddle before her. Pink hair the color of The Great Sakura Tree laid in front of eyes imbued with a turquoise color. She always imagined that the oceans she heard of in the stories had the color of her eyes. A smile crept to her face and she moved on, placing one foot in front of the other through the pink fallen leaves of the massive tree that loomed above. Her pace quickened into a jog, and soon she was running around the base of the tree. Someone yelled from behind her "Stop running! You'll fall!"

A laugh escaped her joyful face and she answered "I'll be fine!"

As she continued around something caught her eye. A boy with black hair the color of her bracelet sat with his back pressed against the trunk of the tree. He wore a tan shirt and pants of the same color. His eyes were the color of the purest blue in the sky, transfixed on a book that he held in his lap. His eyes danced about as he read. While she stared into his excited face her feet kept moving, and they ran right into a tree root. She fell in front of the boy, and her bag spilled its contents when she hit the ground. Pain sprouted in her left knee as her bandaid was ripped off. She kept back tears as warm, red blood arose from and dripped down her knee. She heard a pair of feet stop beside her head, and when she looked up she saw the boy, who extended his hand towards her. The pain disappeared as she lost herself in his pure eyes. She grabbed hold of his outstretched hand and he pulled her up. Across his face was a smile, his hair was parted as to not get in his way. When she stood full again, she asked "Whats your name?"

"My name?" He examined her face closely before answering, "My name is..."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Nana, come on."

Nana refocused on Hachi's blue buzzcut hair and the scar running the length of his face. "Oh don't be so hasty, Hachi" She looked up at the old parasite facility that remained as one of the few reminders of the war. The gate that stood above them read "Kyunyu Park". They had renamed it Kyunyu Park some time ago in honor of the Klaxosaurs that had returned to Earth, and for Hiro and Zero Two.

"It's been a long time," her voice shook as she continued, "since we last saw them." Tears threatened to roll down her face.

Hachi looked back at her, and stated, "Six hundred eighteen, and we will wait a thousand more if need be to see them again." He extended his hand to her and said again, "Come on."

After removing the red hair from her face and wiping away her developing tears she took his hand and they continued into the park. They strolled along, side by side, observing and remembering all that had happened there.

The tree that sprouted after Zero Two's body dissapated came into view first as it sat upon the central hill in the park. Its petals rested upon the statues that sat at the base of the hill. Statues of the Nines and Squad thirteen. Behind the massive tree there was the old parasite containment facility that had been renovated into a museum.

The buzz of the city droned in the background, lights flickered from high rise buildings and cars scurried down the streets. The sun touched the tops of the buildings and graced their blue hue with an orange iridescence.

She looked at the city that had grown so much over the years. "Everything really has changed a lot, hasn't it?"

Hachi traced her gaze around the horizon. "I kind of miss the fields that used to be here, it was nice seeing the results of our hard labor." With a sigh he moved on towards the center of the park.

Soon the three groups statues came into focus, cast in shadow as the sun's rays hit The Great Sakura that stood upon the hill. The first group of statues contained squad thirteen, and as they passed Nana recalled the inscriptions on the bases almos from memory.

 _She led Squad 13 and the New Human Confederation to victory against VIRM and the strange new world_

 _-Ichigo, 015_

 _He explored the world, expanding our horizons, giving us curiosity for the future_

 _-Goro, 056_

 _She led innovation and research, advancing society and prolonging our lives_

 _-Ikuno, 196_

 _She kept us all together, keeping spirits high and giving us hope when we needed it the most_

 _-Naomi, 703_

 _He led our youth towards the dream of being adults, inspiring the future and ratifying the present_

 _-Zorome, 666_

 _She ingrained the new generations with knowledge for building a better future_

 _-Miku, 390_

 _He led our agriculture and sustained the new world_

 _-Futoshi, 214_

 _She looked toward the future and desired to leave her mark, never giving up until she did_

 _-Kokoro, 556_

 _He inspired the continuation of each generation, showing the children why they should fight for a better future, despite all that stands in our way_

 _-Mitsuru, 326_

The second group consisted of just one statue with two figures, Hiro and Zero Two. They gazed into each other's eyes, their faces so close their horns touched. Nana read the fading text that was shared between the two stone figures.

 _They showed us what it meant to love, when no one else could. They sacrificed themselves so that we could live for the future. Thanks to their efforts against VIRM we can live how they did, human_

 _-Hiro, 016_

 _-Zero Two/Iota, 002_

The last group of statues consisted of the eight Nines, with one inscription on a podium set in front of them.

 _They sacrificed themselves for our victory over VIRM. While they only lived to fight, they fought so we could live_

 _-Nine Alpha_

 _-Nine Beta_

 _-Nine Gamma_

 _-Nine Delta_

 _-Nine Epsilon_

 _-Nine Zeta_

 _-Nine Eta_

 _-Nine Theta_

Nana and Hachi continued past the statues and went up the hill.

"Do you ever think they are coming back?" Nana asked.

"Hm?" Hachi looked back with a confused face.

"Hiro and Zero Two."

"I don't know, why do you ask?"

Nana stopped walking and looked back at their statue. "Its just that sometimes I wonder why we are still here, waiting for something that may never come. Maybe that we should stop being immortal and live out the rest of our lives normally, and die having done what we wanted in this world like everyone around us."

"Well," Hachi directed his gaze towards the statue, "I don't think I will be done doing what I want in this world until I see them come back..." His eyes drifted upwards and looked at the red sky. "Maybe if I get bored of the world around us I would go into cryosleep, but I would never give up my immortality if those two haven't come back yet. As it is now the city moves so fast I find myself getting lost in the streets windowshopping..." His voice drifted off into the warm summer air and was replaced with a smile.

Nana took a short step forward. "I guess I can't just give up now after all this time... and cryosleep _is_ always an option." They came up next to eachother and continued walking. Nana laid her head against Hachi's shoulder and took a deep breath. "I just wish they would come back already."

"Of course" Hachi replied. With footsteps in unison they walked up the hill, both eyes focused on the large sakura tree.

At the base of the tree stood a small girl. She wore the standard tan dress that all children wore, and had a bland, black elastic bracelet around her wrist. Her hair was the color of the blossoms above, a light pink. Her hair fell around her head as she looked into a puddle at her feet. The girl then started to shuffle her feet through the fallen blossoms of the tree, moving in circles. Soon her pace quickened to a run, and as Nana and Hachi came closer to the base of the tree she started to run towards a large root. Nana's instincts kicked in and she yelled, "Stop running! You'll fall!"

The girl responded with a laugh and yelled back "I'll be fine!" but soon she stumbled over the root and fell around the large trunk, out of view.

Nana let out a sharp "Oh!" and she quickened her pace, with Hachi not far behind. They neared the big root but the girl was still out of view behind the massive trunk of the tree. As they came close they heard a boy speaking. Nana stopped to listen to the boy and heard, "My name is Hiro."

Suddenly Nana felt an immense pain in her head and she fell to the ground, incapacatated. Hachi called out to her as he knelt by her side. "Nana! Are you alright?"

She didn't respond, her expression blank. Hachi looked around and set her against the trunk of the sakura tree. He heard the laughter of children drift in the background. He mumbled to himself, "I need to get her to the doctor..." His eyes drifted towards the museum as he thought. With a grunt he picked up Nana and started walking. "Come on..." Hachi said under his breath, "We're going to see Ikuno."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The picture book that sat in his lap came to life with vibrant colors. He parted his thick black hair to get a better view. The words on the page also came to life with dark blues and rosy pinks. He was reading a story about a beast and a prince. When he finished the book, he thought to himself _"This is a sad story... their souls got to be together forever, but they were never able to be truly happy along with those around them."_

He then heard from around the tree a girls' voice yelling out "I'll be fine!" Moments later he saw the face that the voice belonged to. It was a girl his age with long hair that was light pink, the same color of the buds on The Great Sakura Tree, which he currently sat under. Her eyes shone with a turqoise color and her mouth was spread in a wide grin across her face. He only got a short look at the girl until she tripped over a tree root and hit the ground in front of him.

He quickly closed the book in his left hand and jumped up, proceeding to walk over to where the girl now lay. As she looked up at him he lost himself into her eyes. Gazing into the deep turqiouse he mindlessly stuck out his hand to help her up. She took his hand and they soon stood face to face.

The girl asked "What's your name?"

Hiro's mind came back into focus "My name?" He examined her face one more time before answering "My name is Hiro."

A frown came to the girl's face and she squinted at Hiro's neck. "That's a boring name... It says something else here..." Startled, Hiro looked at his necklace, which now had a strange pendant on it. It was metal and had the shape of a simple 2D bird, and there was an inscription on the pendant.

The girl squinted harder and continued, "It says here..." a smile crept to her face as she read, "Dar-ling." She stated both syllables very clearly. "Dar-ling. Darling. Hm..." She chuckled, "I like that better, Darling. Hm? What do you think?"

Hiro was flustered. "Wha- What? Wait. What's your name?"

"My name? My name is Iota."

Hiro looked around nervously and saw an identical pendant attatched to the band on her left wrist. He still was holding that hand after helping her up, so he brought it closer to him to get a look at the inscription that was on it. Hiro then read the inscription out loud with a smile, "Zero Two. I like that better."

A frown came to her face and she said "What? Let me see that."

Hiro let go of her hand and she looked at the pendant on her wrist.

"Ze-ro Two. I also like that." Her frown turned into a smile and she started to laugh, twirling away from Hiro, hair spreading like a flower. When she stopped twirling, she stared back into Hiro's blue eyes. "Whatcha got there?" She pointed to the book held firmly in Hiro's left hand.

"This?" Hiro held in in front of her so she could see. "It's a picture book."

Zero Two's eyes scanned the cover and her face lit up. "Oooh I love picture books! Darling, would you show it to me?"

Hiro smiled. "Of course!" He looked back to his seat at the trunk of the tree "Lets sit over here." After they were seated he opened the book to the first page.

Zero Two seemed squeemish in her excitement. Her eyes danced around the page as she pointed to the pictures and exclaimed "Look! They're so pretty!"

"They are." He took in all the colors once more before he began "Lets see here..." He found the start of the story and started reading.

 _"In the deepest, darkest part of a forest lived a tribe, hidden from all. They had large wings on their backs and were beautiful, but they were what would be called beasts. Among them was their princess who had huge, ashen wings. Their law said that once one turned sixteen, they would be allowed to fly outside the forest._

 _On her sixteenth birthday the princess took flight to the world beyond the forest. She crossed the steep mountains and the surging rivers, and reacherd a land of humans. The moon shone brightly in the sky._

 _She landed in a castle garden, where she found a young man gazing up at the moon. The princess hid in the bushes and stared at the young man, and for the first time, love bloomed in her heart. But he was clearly of a different race. A beast and a human could never be together._

 _And so, the princess went to see a witch who lived in the same forest and said, 'I want to live as a human, I want to be united with him.' The witch replied like so. 'I can help you if you offer me your wings. But keep this in mind. No matter how you disguise youself, you are a beast, and you wil consume the prince's life one day.'_

 _The princess ripped off her wings and was assaulted by pain far more intense than she had ever felt. She could never fly again. Even so, she smiled happily, with tears of joy streaming down her face. 'I'm human! I'm human! I'm the same as him now!'_

 _The princess once again set out for the land of huans, this time on foot. In the desert she spotted a group of people. 'Oh no! Is there anyone who could save him?!' There lay a young man, his leg bitten by a snake. The princess rushed to his side and sucked the venom out from his wound. 'Thank you, o brave lady. I am the prince of these lands.' It was the same man she had met in the castle. 'I owe my life to you. Please marry me.'_

 _A wedding ceremony was held soon after. The priest asked the princess, clad in a wedding dress of pure white,'Do you vow to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?'_

 _'I do.' The two exchanged rings, and when the priest said so, they sealed their vows with a kiss. And cheers rang out across the land. 'Bless the brave girl who saved our prince's life!' The whole kingodm celebrated their marriage._

 _'Humans! Humans! They have neither the wings to fly nor the claws or fangs to hunt. Such weak and frail creatures, but they are so, so warm. Humans are wonderful'_

 _After the wedding, she lived happily as the princess of a human land. She supported the prince in his work, traveled the world and saw oceans studded with glints of sapphire, sparkling grasslands, and auroras that swayed like raging flames. The princess took the prince's hand and said with a smile on her face, 'Grab on to me and never let go, Darling.'_

 _But the Princess' happiness was short lived._

 _She woke up one night to a pain that threatened to rend her asunder and found her body turning into one of a beast._

 _'Why? I asked you to make me human!' On her back were a jet black wins tearing through her flesh and skin to spread. 'Using magic comes at a price. You've attained plenty of happiness as a human. Now it is time for you to lose yourself and turn into an ugly monster,' the witch of the forest whispered to her. 'However, if you kill the person you love most, you will be freed of your curse and return to the beast you originally were.'_

 _The princess gazed at her beloved prince as her claws reached for his throat. She loved him more than anything and anyone, but the desire to rip his neck apart welled inside her. As she desperately tried to clench her fist and stop herself, her claws dug into her skin, and blood started gushing out._

 _'If I kill the prince, I will be freed forn this curse.' With tears streaming down her face, she kissed the prince on the cheeck._

 _When the prince awoke, he was startled by a horrifying black beast that stood at the foot of his bed. He saw blood stains around the room and started to call for the guards, but he froze when he saw the tears that streamed down the beasts' face. 'My lady! Is that you?' The prince asked. The beast looked him in the eyes and let out a defeated growl. The prince rushed over to his beastly princess and said, 'No matter what you look like, I will always love you.' In that moment they shared the purest kiss that the world had ever known. The prince then felt a pain more intense than he had ever felt, and let out a deafening scream._

 _Guards rushed into the royal quarters in response to the noise. What they found was two beasts black as night wrapped in eachother's arms. The beastly prince and princess were killed on sight. However, their souls grabbed on to their undying love for eachother and they floated away together, without their bodies, to explore the world."_

After he had finished reading, Hiro looked to see Zero Two with an unpleasant face. She sighed and said, "That ending is kinda sad. I wish I could..." Her voice faded and she looked towards the things that had fallen out of her bag, still laying on the ground.

"Wish you could what?" Hiro inquired.

She answered "Nevermind." And hopped to her feet.

Hiro followed suit and stood by while she returned two items to her bag. She then turned to face him, and after thinking for a second, she pulled one of the two items out of the bag and said "Thanks for showing me your picture book," She put out her hand to give it to him. "This is my favourite candy."

Hiro, suprised, looked down at the small candy wrapped in pink and said, "Are you sure? Thanks." He took the candy as Zero Two reached into her bag again to take out the other candy. After Hiro unwrapped his candy, he popped it into his mouth. His tastebuds were overwhelmed by the sweetness and he let out an excited scream, "It's super sweet!"

Zero Two chuckled, and explained. "Maple, chocolate, red bean flavor," her smile reached from ear to ear, "a triple punch of sweetness!"

"This candy is so good." Hiro remarked with a voice muffled from a full mouth. "But... even though it's my first time tasting it..." he concentrated on the taste of the candy, "...I start feeling nostalgic."

"Hm?" Zero Two examined Hiro's confused face. When she received no answer she suggested, "Hey Darling, let's go play!"

Hiro snapped out of his tranced state as the candy fully disintegrated in his mouth, leaving behind his nostalgic feelings. He saw Zero Two extend her hand towards him and he took it. "Sure, Zero Two!" She pulled him towards her and they set off in a run, playing and laughing together, hand in hand.

They played for some time, and soon the two were almost the last people left in the park. The only others there were two women and a man. The man wore a plain suit and had buzzcut blue hair. One of the women had red hair and wore a pencil suit of the same plain style, and the other had white hair and wore a white lab coat. Hiro and Zero Two took no notice of them and continued playing. When the sun fully disappeared behind the tops of the tall buildings they both knew it was time to return to their homes, but before they went their separate ways Zero Two said, "Let's play tomorrow, too!"

Hiro immediately replied, "Yeah! Of course!" When he let go of her hand he felt a part of himself fade away. They stared into eachother's eyes as the distance between them grew, the only thing breaking their gaze being the sakura tree in the way when they turned the corner to walk down opposite sides of the hill. They both returned home with mysterious matching new pendants, and a new friend.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As Hachi carried Nana's limp body through the museum several people offered their help. He answered all of them with "It's fine, I've got her." and stoicly moved on. Some others gave him confused looks as he passed by, but nobody seriously bothered him as he moved towards the back of the old parasite facility. He flashed his ID in front of a barrier labeled "Employees Only", which flashed green and he passed through. He walked by several identical doors in the white hallway until he came upon the only one with a numpad next to it. He hoisted Nana over one shoulder and with his free hand punched 1-9-6-7-0-3 into the numpad. After hearing the lock click he pushed open the door and entered.

"Who is it?" The feminine robotic voice came from the left, and as Hachi looked over he saw Ikuno sat at her desk looking towards him. Her hair was white as ever, and half her face was still comprised of a robotic contraption almost identical to Dr. Franxx's.

From his right came another feminine voice that exclaimed "Oh my! Nana!" Naomi appeared in front of him, hair also now white and face riddled with wrinkles. She examined Nana's face, then jogged to the back of the room and typed something into a holographic keyboard on the wall. A compartment extended from the wall to reveal a bed, which Naomi pointed to and said, "Come, set her down here." Hachi obliged and set her down on what was essentially a large morgue storage table with a cushion and a pillow. He heard Ikuno stand up behind him and turned to see her jog over to the side of the bed. She examined Nana from head to toe, then with a confused face asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know," replied Hachi, "We were just taking our annual tour of the park when she collapsed."

"Annual- Is it that time of year already?" Said Naomi, "Man, living for six hundred years really makes the days fly by doesn't it?"

Ikuno shook her head, "Nevermind that." She pressed a button on the wall and a holographic interface appeared above Nana. "I guess I'll run a few tests..." She deftly navigated the interface and soon a robotic arm extended from the wall and started to poke and prod Nana with various strange looking instruments.

Naomi chimed in, "Well then, since that is going to take a while why don't we catch up while we wait?"

Ikuno's somber expression melted away and she said exitedly, "Oh, yes! Come, pull over that chair from over there." She pointed to a lone chair in the back corner of the room as she and Naomi went to grab their own chairs from their desks.

As Hachi went to pull over the chair he examined the lab. It had not changed much over the years. He remembered Ikuno relentlessly working to figure out how to reverse the accelerated aging process of the parasites in the lab with a lonely desk, chair, and table lamp. Now the lab had two large desks in the front of the room separated by the door, holographic screens on the wall that showed immense amounts of assorted data, and large LED ceiling lights that illuminated the whole room, showing the bare white walls. The back wall had also been modified for many functional reasons, one of which was the large bed compartment that Naomi and Ikuno slept in, where Nana now laid.

After they were all seated Ikuno asked, "What have you been doing lately?"

Hachi responded, "Nothing much, mostly just walking around the city, waiting."

Naomi remarked, "If you don't do much why don't you stop by more often? It gets lonely with just the two of us in here sometimes."

"Well I wouldn't want to disturb you while you were working of course." He chuckled, "Speaking of, what have you two been working on lately?" He tried to decipher the data displayed on the holographic monitors on the walls above their desks, but failed.

Naomi answered, "Well, after we figured out fusion reactors there hasn't been much to think about. We picked up Dr. Franxx's old data again, and have been trying to decipher what he didn't have the time to go through."

Ikuno added, "We found that there was a strong correlation with parasite scores and levels of specific hormones present in their bodies," she sighed, "not that any of that matters anymore... That old geezer never looked into it though. Makes me wonder how he got anything done."

Naomi scoffed, "I just think he was lucky he didn't get humanity killed... All he did was use enough parasites until he found one that worked and cloned them. All of the other squads are just a clone of one person. Same hair, same personality, same everything. The only thing that caused one parasite to be different from another was the mutation that the yellow blood cells caused."

Ikuno smiled and said to Naomi jokingly, "You're just angry because he made you Hiro's parnter even though he knew that Hiro could only pilot with Zero Two after he ingested her blood."

"That man didn't _know_ anything!" Naomi sulked in her chair and growled, "He's the reason I ended up with a robo-arm, too!" She pulled up her sleeve to show her arm, which seemed normal until she pressed her finger to it. The skin faded away to show a black, metallic arm underneath. When she moved her finger away the metal shifted its colors and once again looked like normal skin.

Hachi chuckled and said, "You should be more thankful for that robo-arm, it's the reason you are immortal, you know."

"Yeah, at least you don't have a metal monstrosity on your face," Ikuno glared at Naomi and tapped the mechanical side of her head, causing a dull sound to ring around the room, "it's not as easy to display a face on this metal surface... It looks so ugly." They laughed and smiles came to their faces once more.

In the moment of silence that followed Hachi looked towards Nana lying on the bed beside them, and though back to what she had said earlier. With that conversation in mind he asked, "Why did you two choose to be immortal, to cheat death?"

The two looked at him and thought for a moment. Ikuno answered first, "Well, there is just so much to do and not enough time."

Naomi continued the thought, "And it seemed like all the others had done their part in looking towards the future."

Ikuno looked towards Naomi with a smile, "Our brains didn't really agree with the whole reproduction thing-"

Naomi took her hand, "-so it feels like we had to work harder to do our fair share in building a better future."

They then finished in unison, gazing into eachother's eyes, "One lifetime is just not sufficient enough."

The metal arm that was probing Nana then retracted back into the wall, and the holographic display showed an alert that said "Testing Complete". Naomi stood and started to look through the results, "This might take a minute..."

Ikuno continued the conversation, "The strangest thing is watching your own funeral on a surveillance camera. 'Humanity can't know about immortality without the use of magma energy,' they said. Pfft, whatever. This immortality requires cannibalizing parts of the franxx so it's not like we could make that many people immortal anyways..." she trailed off with an annoyed look.

Hachi chuckled, "Looks like Naomi isn't the only one with an irrational anger towards something..." he examined Naomi and Ikuno again, "I never understood your squad's antics, even with how much I've changed over the years I still don't get it," He pointed to Nana, "She's always better with that stuff than I am."

When Naomi finished scanning through the results she said, "Ok," Hachi and Ikuno looked at her and she continued, "nothing seems to be horribly wrong, it's just that her body seems to be sleeping while her brain activity is off the charts." She thought about it for a bit, then concluded, "Almost like she's dreaming..."

In that moment Nana's body returned to life and she sat up. She screamed, "Hiro! Zero Two!" jumped out of the bed, and sprinted out the door.

Hachi sprang out of his chair and pursued her, yelling, "Nana! Wait! Where are you going?"

Soon just Ikuno and Naomi remained in the lab. Ikuno calmly stood up and asked a shocked Naomi, "What day is it again?"

She snapped out of her confusion and answered, "I-It's the anniversary, right? May second?"

"Hmm..." Ikuno thought for a moment then started to walk out after Nana and Hachi.

Before she got out the door Naomi asked, "Should I wake them from cryosleep?"

Ikuno paused and answered, "No, I would hate to disturb those two for no reason." and proceeded down the hallway.

The Museum was closed as Nana ran down the hallway, with Hachi close behind. She exited the museum and headed straight towards The Great Sakura. Hachi soon caught up with her and grabbed her arm, then they both came to a stop. Nana looked back towards Hachi and with her free hand pointed towards two children that were playing under the tree. With a shaky voice she said, "I-it's them, Hachi, It's Hiro a-and Zero Two."

Hachi looked to where she was pointing, and saw a young boy and a young girl, perhaps six or seven years old, who respectively looked almost identical to Hiro and Zero Two. He frowned and said, "It may just be a coincidence, Nana."

"No!" She yelled back defiantly, "I heard him! He said his name was Hiro! Today's the day, too! The day Zero Two's body faded away!"

Hachi let out a deep sigh and said, "Even if it is them, they might not even have their memories."

"But I have to try!" Nana pulled her arm from his grasp and started towards the hill.

A voice came from behind Hachi, "He's right, Nana."

Nana stopped and turned to see Ikuno standing behind Hachi with a sweatshirt hood pulled over the mechanical side of her face.

Ikuno continued, "We don't know enough yet, just wait and we will figure this all out."

"B-b-but..." She stammered and turned to look at the children again, and this time saw them no longer playing, but walking away from eachother down separate sides of the hill. Tears ran down her face and she fell to her knees, "It's been so long..."

Ikuno knelt by her side and embraced her. "I know, it's been a long time." She shed a tear of her own as she watched the boy with black hair and the girl with light pink hair walk away.

They stayed like that for a while, until Ikuno recieved a message from Naomi. The voice recording played in her ear, "Come back to the lab, quick. I think it's VIRM." Ikuno stood quickly to her feet and whispered to herself, "This is bad..." She looked at Nana and Hachi, who looked back at her, and explained, "It seems I have some bad news," She started back towards the museum entrance and beckoned them to follow, "Let's go discuss this over some tea, things are already stressful enough as it is."

They all had frowns on their faces they headed back towards the lab. They walked along side by side with a bad feeling developing deep within their hearts, but good thoughts of Hiro and Zero Two on their minds.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Ikuno, Hachi, and Nana walked into the lab, Naomi was nervously fidgeting at her desk. Hearing them come in, she looked over and complained, "What took you so long! I've-"

Ikuno interrupted her with a sigh, "I'm making some tea." she continued walking towards the back wall and after typing something into the holoraphic keyboard, a compartment extended out of the wall to reveal a full mini-kitchen complete with an oven, stove, sink, and refrigerator.

Naomi took a deep breath, smiled, and said, "That's a great idea!" she pulled open one of the cupboards on the side of the room and pulled out a teapot, handing it to Ikuno.

Ikuno filled and set the teapot on the stove to boil while Naomi worked on preparing tea bags. Nana and Hachi sat on the edge of the bed and leaned on eachother. The room was silent, everyone too engrossed in their thoughts to start a conversation.

After the tea bags were ready, Naomi made a table and bench extend from the wall, and pulled four mugs out from the cupboard. Shortly after, the teapot cried out and Ikuno poured them all cups of tea.

Ikuno took a deep breath and sipped her tea. Exhaling, she said, "Lavender tea is so relaxing." She took one more deep breath and started, "Ok, first..." she looked at Nana and asked, "What happened with you?"

Nana thought for a moment before answering, "Well, we were coming up to the tree, a-and there was that girl, the one who looked like Zero Two. She was running, and tripped. I ran to go see if she was alright when I heard that boy's voice from around the corner. He said his name was Hiro, then all of a sudden my head hurt and then..." A tear ran down her face, "I had some sort of dream, or a vision, I guess. I saw them. Relived every memory I had of Hiro and Zero Two. When I woke up I needed to see them, so I ran." She sniffled and wiped her eyes with her hands.

Ikuno grabbed a pen and some paper from her desk and jotted down a few notes. She looked up at Nana and explained, "It was probably a memory relapse caused by the emotion wipe, likely caused by the sudden increase in emotive output. Maybe similar to the one you had way back in Mistleteinn." She then took another sip of tea and continued, "Next..." she prepared herself with a deep breath, "What's this about VIRM, Naomi?"

Astonished looks came to Hachi's and Nana's faces. Hachi asked, "Huh? What do you mean, isn't VIRM dead?"

"Well," Naomi stood and walked over to her desk. She pulled up a graph on the monitor that showed a horizontal line followed by a steep incline. Pointing to the graph she said, "I've been monitoring the portal that Strelizia Apus went through, and while you three were out just now, it reopened." She turned back to the desk and pulled something else up on the monitor. She looked at it and explained, "As soon as the portal opened I recieved this radio transmission on an old APE frequency." She pressed a button and the message played.

 _"We have returned. You foolish, insolent humans seriously thought we would be destroyed by your little bomb? VIRM, the pinnacle of evolution, spans across many systems and many planets. Destroying our homeworld was not enough to silence us. We have rebuilt and regrouped, and you shall lose. When we arrive again at earth, you will surrender or you will die. You have your time to think, I suggest you chose life over death."_

The voice that played was the same as Papa's, the same as the VIRM hivemind. It sent a shiver down their spines.

Nana's face was pale. Staring into nothingness, she asked, "What are we gonna do?"

Ikuno stared into her mug, her knuckles white as she gripped it and took a long drink. She sighed and her whole body relaxed. Closing her eyes she thought for a while. The silence threatened her concentration. When she reopened her eyes she asked, "How much time do we have?"

Naomi quickly answered, "Well it was eight years after Strelitzia Apus entered the portal that Zero Two's body dissapated. Assuming that's they detonated the bomb, travel time through the portal should be around eight years for ships of Strelizia's speed. Only large ships can survive in the portal so it should take VIRM about the same amount of time, eight years, to pass through the portal. Once they are through, they may send out faster scouting ships that could reach Earth from Mars about a year after that. Their bigger ships should take about twice that time to get here." She paused for a second and regained her breath, "So..." She did some mental math, "Worst case scenario, if they can get through the portal faster than Strelizia Apus did, seven years for scouts and smaller ships to arrive, eight for their larger ships, and best case scenario nine years for scouts and ten for large ships." She sighed and looked at Ikuno with a worried face.

"Nine years if we're lucky... What can we do in nine years?" Ikuno's head dropped into her hands.

"I'd rather die than surrender." Said Hachi.

Nana agreed, "Yeah, anything is better than surrendering to _them_."

Naomi scratched her head and suggested, "The only thing I can think of that would work in nine years would be to try and start up those old franxx."

Ikuno quickly disagreed, "We don't have any viable parasites, and those franxx are probably broken down by now, _and_ we can't use magma to power them either even if we did get one of those running." She lifted her face out of her hands and continued, "Unless..." Standing up, she explained, "Maybe... Maybe we could refit them with fusion reactors."

Naomi argued, "The franxx aren't big enough to have their own fusion reactors!"

"Given nine years we could design one small enough." Ikuno moved on, "The oldest children that haven't recieved treatment are about six years old. If we start now we might be able to make them fit to pilot by the time VIRM arrives."

With a concerned look Hachi said, "Franxx won't do any good if they have a space fleet, they could just annihilate us from afar."

Naomi's face lit up and she turned to her desk and pulled up a model of Strelizia Apus. Pointing to a module in the main body she explained, "If we had enough energy, maybe we could protect all the cities with energy shields similar to this one Strelizia Apus had. Therefore protecting ourselves from orbital bombardment, and forcing VIRM to come down to Earth so we can fight on our own terms."

Nana frowned and looked at the model, "Can it really be done?"

Ikuno looked at her worried face and answered, "I don't know. Fusion reactors supply a lot of energy, so if we built an extra one per city we should be able to power a shield like that, but..." Her expression worsened, "But energy shields still wouldn't prevent invaders coming through on the surface," She tapped the table as she thought, and continued somberly, "with which we have no working franxx to combat them with." She drank all the tea that remained in her mug. With her body calm once again she finished, "I guess that'll just have to be a problem for future us." She walked over from the table and sat down at her desk.

Hachi gazed down at his watch, which read "12:37 AM." Suprised, he looked at Nana and told her, "It's really getting late, we should leave them to their business." She agreed and they quickly drank the rest of their tea and headed for the door.

Naomi frowned and said, "Would you mind asking the president to come have a chat with us? All this is going to need a lot of resources and money."

Nana nodded in agreement and said, "We'll try to meet with her tommorow." When they passed the desks Ikuno was already looking at a model of a fusion reactor, and Nana recognized Dr. Franxx's parasite scoring notes pulled up on Naomi's monitor. Leaving the room Nana said excitedly, "Good luck! Good night!"

She heard a distracted "Good night!" back.

Hachi closed the door behind them and wondered, "How can you sound so excited in a time like this?"

Nana started walking down the hallway and answered, "It wouldn't do any good be sad, now would it?"

He jogged to catch up. Falling into step next to her, he mumbled in response, "It wouldn't hurt to take things more seriously, either." Looking down at her face, however, he found it full of worry. She looked up at him and sighed. With a smile he forgot VIRM, took her hand, and continued through the museum.

Hand in hand they exited the museum, walked past The Great Sakura billowing in the wind, past the statues standing still at the foot of the hill, and back through the gate.

Outside the park, the city streets were still bustling with people. Merchants peddled off flashy toys or aromous food, others laughed and had smiles on their faces, enjoying the night off for the holiday. Nana and Hachi walked past it all, soon coming upon the tallest bulding in the city. They flashed their badges at the access gate, which turned green letting them enter the building. The elevator took them to their destination on the top floor. They walked down the hallway, and after presenting their badges one more time, opened the door to their apartment.

Too stressed to fall asleep, they sat next to eachother on the couch facing the window and gazed at the city below. Leaning on eachother in silence they tried to comprehend what had just occured.

Nana finally broke the silence with a small laugh, "We were here originally to support the children so they could become adults, but now they are the adults and are supporting us like we are the children. I sat and listened to them figure out how to save us all and couldn't help in the slightest." She looked down and slouched in defeat.

"That just means we did our job well." Hachi said with a grin.

"Yeah, I guess we did." She placed her head on his shoulder, and as the city below finally started to die down they succumbed to exhaustion, falling asleep in eachother's arms.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The sun peeked over the skyline of the city as Hiro ran up the street. His face was wild with excitement to meet his new friend again. Sprinting past tall buildings, the sakura tree upon the hill came into view when he turned the corner. He watched it in earnest as it grew ever closer.

When he came to the gate, however, it was closed. A short iron bar fence sealed the park away from the rest of the world. Hiro looked around and saw no one in sight, the city exhausted from the festivities the night before. He turned and quickly climbed over the fence, then continued up the hill.

She was waiting for him under the tree when he arrived. Her laugh rang clear through the morning breeze, "You're late darling!"

Hiro was out of breath from running. Flustered, he stammered, "I-I came as early as my mom would let me! A-and the gate was shut!" He flopped next to her in the fallen petals and tried to catch his breath.

She laughed again and wondered, "They don't close this place often, I wonder why it's locked up today..." she looked around for an answer but found none.

Once Hiro regained his breath he sat up next to her and replied, "I have no idea, but at least there is no one is here to bother us." he took in the sweet scent of the blossoms and smiled.

Zero Two stood up and said, "Well, I'm getting bored," She ran out from under the tree and beckoned for Hiro to follow, "let's go play!"

When Hiro finally stood up he felt a sharp sting in his arm, and saw a small rock drop to the ground in front of him. He heard Zero Two giggle in the distance and yell, "Too slow!"

Hiro smiled and picked up the rock, throwing it back at her. The rock hit her hand as she caught it, and she threw it back again. The pebble flew back and forth as they played, their laughter ringing through the park.

Sweat started to gather on their foreheads. Zero Two threw the rock high in the air and yelled, "Catch this!" It flew in a high arc, and dissapeared into the tree above Hiro's head.

The tree branches rustled as the rock fell through. Then the rustling stopped and someone yelled "Ow!" from up in the tree.

"Huh?" Hiro, confused, looked up to try and find where the sound came from. Unable to see anything, he yelled, "Who's up there!?"

The branches rustled again and the voice called down, "Who's _down_ there!"

Zero Two, annoyed, ran to Hiro's side and yelled back, "Come down!"

The tree shook and soon a girl about the same age as Hiro and Zero Two jumped down. She was short, and her flat maroon hair fell flatly by her shoulders when she landed. She was not wearing the standard tan dress that most girls wore. Instead, she had torn jeans and a black zipper hoodie. Brown eyes examined Hiro and Zero Two. Standing up straight the girl waved and said, "I'm Enjo, nice to meet you."

Zero Two waved back and replied, "My name's Iota, but you can call me Zero Two."

Enjo looked at Hiro and asked, "And who are you?"

Hiro's face turned red and he answered shakily, "M-me? I-I'm Hiro." He looked up and asked, "Uh, why were you in the tree?"

"Oh! Well you see, I just love climbing." She deftly climbed a short way up the trunk of the sakura tree as a demonstration. She let go of the trunk and continued, "And yesterday I climbed the tree. Usually I can't climb the tree because someone catches me but on the holidays its busy enough here in the park that no one notices. So I climbed the tree yesterday, then I laid down on that nice big branch. It was so comfy I must've fallen asleep!" She laughed. After thinking for a moment she finished her story, "Just now I woke up when something hit my head." She rubbed the back of her head where the rock hit, " But I have no idea what hit me though," she looked at them and asked, "do you have any idea what could've woken me up?"

Zero Two giggled and answered, "No idea."

"None at all." Hiro followed up.

Enjo frowned and said, "Anyways, what were you two doing?"

"Just playing catch." replied Zero Two.

"Sounds fun! Can I join in?"

"Sure! But we seem to have lost the rock we were throwing..." Zero Two ran back out towards the path to get another pebble. As soon as she left the canopy of the tree she looked up to see two people walking towards the tree from the museum. She quickly turned around and ran back under the tree. She yelled to Hiro and Enjo, "Hide!"

All three of them dived under a large root of the tree. Enjo asked, "What's there?"

"Two people, both adults." Zero Two answered.

Hiro, confused, wondered, "Two adults here when the park is closed?"

Enjo peeked over the root and took a closer look as the two adults came into view at the base of the tree. Ducking back into safety she explained, "Two women, one in a labcoat with some sort of funny mask, and one in a suit-"

"Shh!" Hiro put his finger to his lip and whispered, "Listen, they're saying something."

The adults were now at the base of the tree. They overheard one saying, "You never go on a walk with me unless you have bad news, so lets just cut to the chase." She let out a deep sigh "What's wrong this time?"

They heard a robotic voice from the other adult. "What do you want to hear first, the good news, the bad news, or the really bad news?"

"I don't know Ikuno, how about the bad news?"

The robotic voice, presumably Ikuno, said back, "The bad news is I need money-"

"What's new?" The other adult scoffed.

"That's not all, I need a research team, and a construction team. Several of each, maybe."

The other aduld sounded concerned, "Why the sudden need of manpower? You and Naomi seem to have managed fine until now."

"That brings me to the really bad news." Ikuno's voice struggled to come out, "It's VIRM, Namari. They're back."

The other adult, presumably Namari, let out an empty "What?"

"We're in a bad situation. Our only hope is to revive the Franxx program."

Namari contemplated the gravity of the situation. There was silence for a minute while she thought, and then she asked, "How much time do we have?"

"Nine years if we're lucky."

Namari's voice became increasingly worried, "Are you sure you can get working Franxx in nine years? And what about parasites?"

"Oh, that reminds me. We also need full control of the school system and surveilance details on all children that start school next year." Ikuno became more and more monotone as her soul deflated from the stress.

"I can get you what you need, but what happens if you fail, Ikuno?"

The response from Ikuno was devoid of emotion, "We all die."

"What's the good news in all of this?" Namari's voice was in desparate need of hope.

"They might be back, Hiro and Zero Two."

From under the root Hiro and Zero Two looked at eachother in confusion. Namari interrupted their confusion, " _Might_ be? What is that supposed to mean?"

"It's a long story for another time, when we know more about the situation." Her feet shuffled impaitiently, "Anyways, can you get me what I need? Everything?"

"O-of course! Anything you need I can provide. Let's see... We'll tell the public that we are reforming the school system to prepare for any potential threats in the future. We should avoid telling them there is a large threat now, that would just cause panic." Namari started to walk away, "I'll get you what you need, trust me."

Ikuno nodded and started to walk away as well. Namari called after her, "Ikuno, when was the last time you slept?"

Ikuno stopped and shyly replied, "2 days ago."

"I know that you can operate on less sleep with your bionics but you need to get some sleep."

"There's just so much to do-"

"That's an order, Ikuno."

"Ok, I'll get some sleep, President."

"Extend that order to Naomi for me, too."

"Yes Ma'am." Ikuno turned towards the museum and walked away. Namari followed suit in the opposite direction.

When the footsteps faded from their ears, Zero Two asked, "What was that all about?"

Enjo replied, "I dunno. They were talking about 'VIRM' and 'Scientists' and other boring grown up stuff." She stood up and checked their surroundings for other adults.

Hiro observed, "Apparently they were important enough to shut down the entire park for their meeting."

"The park is closed today?" Enjo asked, "Huh, the things you don't know when you sleep in a tree."

Zero Two was still confused. "Why were they talking about me and my darling then?" She asked.

Enjo waved it off, "They were probably talking about the people those statues are made for" she pointed at the group of statues at the bottom of the hill. "You two were probably named after those two, it's just a freak coincidence, that's all."

"Oh, I guess so..." Zero Two's face became filled with dissapointment.

Hiro chimed in, "What was all that stuff about everyone dying then?"

Enjo waved this off as well, "I'm sure that's not what they really meant. Grown up stuff, like I said." She checked their surroundings one more time and said, "If the park really is closed we should get out of here. Follow me." She darted out from under the tree and made way for the gate, Hiro and Zero Two not far behind.

They soon reached the fence. After checking to see no one was in sight they hopped over it into the street.

"What now?" Zero Two asked with a sigh.

Enjo skipped away, saying, "Let's explore!"


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Hiro and Zero Two followed Enjo into the city streets. The whole city seemed to be hungover from the night before. Few people walked the streets and a unsettling silence dwelled in the morning mist. The three children wandered, exploring the ins and outs of the city, including the creepy alleyways, grand bridges, and damp underpasses. As the day wore on, the city came to life as people scurried around, always wanting to be somewhere else. They also passed several groups of children who were exploring the city like they were, as was a common occurance on the weekends.

As the sun peaked above their heads, Hiro's stomach made a loud grumble. He looked at Zero Two and Enjo and told them, "I'm hungry."

Enjo nodded in agreement.

Zero Two also agreed, "Yeah, me too, but where can we get something to eat?"

"I don't have any money." Remarked Hiro.

Zero Two checked her pockets and found them empty.

After checking her own pockets and finding them also empty, Enjo looked around and started walking towards a densly packed group of people. She yelled, "I've got something!" and disappeared into the mass of bodies.

Hiro tried to follow her but couldn't get past the crowd. He turned around and asked Zero Two, "Where'd she go?"

Zero Two shrugged, "I don't know." She tried to peer through the jungle of legs but found no sign of Enjo.

After a minute of them trying to see her in the crowd with no luck, Enjo reappeared with a long loaf of bread in her hand. She waved triumphantly and said, "Got it!"

"Where'd you get that at?" Asked Zero Two.

"I, uh, found it on the ground." Replied Enjo.

"HEY!" A booming voice thundered from behind Enjo. The croud parted to show a burly bald man with a brown handlebar moustache. He wore an apron and had a towel slung over his shoulder. Behind him, in the middle of the mass of people, was a food stand with a sign above it. The sign read "Baguettes, only $5!". The man pointed at Enjo and shouted, "You runt! Give that back!"

She looked back towards the man and her face turned pale.

Hiro looked from the man, to the sign, to Enjo, and asked, "Did you _steal_ that?"

Without providing an answer, Enjo turned tail from the angry man and broke into in a sprint. As she passed Hiro and Zero Two she screamed at them, "RUN!"

Zero Two followed without hesitation. Hiro watched them pass and said to himself, "Really?" He took one last look at the man, whose face was so red he was sure that steam would erupt from his ears at any moment. Suddenly very scared, Hiro ran as fast as he could after Enjo and Zero Two.

When he caught up to Enjo and Zero Two, Hiro peeked back to see the man running after them, not far behind. He looked back at Enjo and yelled, "He's catching up!"

She looked around frantically trying to find something. Finally she took a sharp corner into a small alleyway and said, "This way!"

Hiro and Zero Two followed her into the alleyway that dead ended into the back of a tall building. Zero Two whined, "Great, now we're stuck!"

Enjo seemed to not notice and started to count to herself as she passed the dumpsters and metal double doors that lined the sides of the alleyway. "...9, 10, 11, 12, and 13!" She pushed hard on the double doors she assigned the number 13 and they sweeped inwards, revealing a pitch black room. She smiled and said, "We're not stuck! Now quick, get in!"

Hiro and Zero Two ducked into the dark room and Enjo followed, closing the door behind them. When the doors clanged shut, what little light that was illuminating the room vanished.

Zero Two complained angrily, "Agh! I can't see a thing!"

Enjo shushed her, "Shh!"

A few moments after the sound dissapated into the walls they heard footsteps come from the alleyway. They could hear the angry man's voice, "Damnit! They got away!" They all crossed their fingers in silence, hoping he wouldn't find their hiding place. After the footsteps shuffled around for a minute longer, he grumbled, "I swear they came down here, did I take a wrong turn somewhere?" The footsteps grew more distant and soon were unable to be heard at all.

All three of them let out a sigh of relief and Zero Two laughed, "Haha! That was kinda fun! We got him good, didn't we?"

"I guess so..." Hiro said, "Are there any lights in here?"

He heard someone fumble around for a moment, "Here we go," said Enjo as she struck a match. The shimmering light of the gentle orange flame illuminated the small room. In the corner was a stack of blankets, and lining the walls Hiro recognized various kinds of musical instruments. The middle of the room had just a small table and three chairs. On the table were a few candles that Enjo lit with the match.

Hiro and Zero Two looked around in amazement. Zero Two asked, "What _is_ this place?"

After lighting the candles Enjo stepped back and said, "This," she opened her arms as a welcome, "is my hideout."

Hiro mumbled under his breath, "Hideout, huh?"

Zero Two jumped in excitement, squealing, "Cool!" and inspecting the place up and down.

Hiro walked to the wall and picked up what seemed to be a small guitar, and asked, "What are all these here for?"

Enjo grabbed it from his hands and said, "They're for playing music, dummy!" She situated the instrument in her arms and strummed a few chords. She looked at the instrument and said, "This ukulele is my favorite." After plucking a quick melody she put the ukulele back in it's place.

"I didn't think anyone did music anymore," said Zero Two from the other side of the room, "I've never heard a real song before..."

"I read an old book about the people who lived here in a different time," noted Hiro, "they used to play music all the time, and sometimes people got famous because of music."

Enjo sighed, "Not anymore." She turned away from the wall and changed the subject, "Who's hungry?"

Hiro and Zero Two said in unison, "I am!" and they all sat down at the small table in the middle of the room. Enjo unzipped her hoodie and pulled out the baguette she stole earlier, ripping it into thirds. She handed them their share and they all ate in silence.

When they were done, Hiro said, "I don't like the taste of stolen bread all that much."

"Tastes better than air when you're hungry, trust me." Enjo retorted.

Zero Two asked, "Do you live around here?"

Enjo replied, "Uh, yeah."

"Why couldn't we just go to your place for some food?" Zero Two looked annoyed.

Enjo sulked in her chair and mumbled, "My parents are, um, busy. And we don't got much food lying around the place."

Hiro butted in, "We could've gone to my place if we needed to."

Enjo looked him in the eye and said angrily, "Look, you said you were hungry and I got you some food, is there anything wrong with that?" Her face started to turn red with rage.

Not wanting to get on her bad side, Hiro replied quickly, "I guess not. Thanks for the bread."

Zero Two moved on, "What do your parents do that make them so busy, Enjo?"

Enjo, shaken, looked back at Zero Two and replied, "W-well my entire family does music. I learnt everything I know about all these from them." She pointed to all the instruments around the room, "And it takes a lot of time to master this stuff."

"Huh," Hiro wondered, "I've never heard of anyone doing music for a living."

"It's like I said, people don't get famous from music nowadays." Enjo slumped back in her chair, "So playing music for a living isn't very profitable."

"Can you play, Enjo?" Zero Two asked excitedly.

"Yeah, a little bit." Enjo looked at her with confusion, "Why do you ask?"

"Can you play us a song? I've never heard anyone play one before."

Enjo blushed and she became flustered, "S-sure, I-I'm not very good though." She stood up and picked up the ukulele from the wall. She sat back down and asked, "What should I play?"

Hiro chimed in, "Play your favorite song."

"Ooh yeah." Zero Two agreed.

"Ok." Before starting, Enjo tuned her ukulele. Then she took a deep breath and started. The ukulele sang a joyful tune around the room. Zero Two and Hiro became entranced in the sound. Enjo closed her eyes and began to sing, her voice sweet and smooth over the ukulele's chords,

 _"You know that I'll always be here,_

 _You know you have no need to fear._

 _I'll always be in your heart,_

 _We'll never, oh ever, be apart._

 _Today might be our last day,_

 _But that just might be okay._

 _Child there's no need to cry,_

 _Everything, oh everything's, alright._

 _You know that I'll always be here,_

 _You know you have no need to fear._

 _I'll always be in your heart,_

 _We'll never, oh ever, be apart._

 _I hate when you go off to war,_

 _Told to rack up the best score._

 _And when they say you'll never come home,_

 _My soul is alone, oh all, alone._

 _I know that you'll always be here,_

 _I know I have no need to fear._

 _You'll always be in my heart,_

 _We'll never, oh ever, be apart."_

A smile was spread across all three of their faces. A tear fell down Enjo's face and she wiped it away. "Did you like it?" She asked shily, "My parents used to play that for me all the time, before they were so busy."

Zero Two clapped happliy and exclaimed, "Oh that was wonderful! I've never heard anything like that in my life!"

Hiro joined her applause and asked, "Could you do another?"

"Yeah! Of course." Enjo giggled cheerfully and started another song.

Hiro and Zero Two listened to Enjo's songs, and each time one ended they would ask her to play another one. Smiles were plastered on their faces as they listened to the sweet melodies and smooth chords around the candlelight late into the day.

When the trickle of daylight coming from under the door finally started to fade, and Enjo's voice started to wear out, Zero Two said sadly, "I should head home, I think."

"Yeah, me too." Hiro added.

Both of them stood and Zero Two thanked Enjo, "Thanks for singing for me, you really are great at playing music."

Enjo blushed again and replied shily, "Oh, thank you."

Zero Two pushed open the big double doors and waited for Hiro. Before leaving he turned and asked Enjo, "Shouldn't you be heading home too?"

She stammered, "Y-yeah, but I can get to my place in no time at all, I'll be fine."

Hiro shrugged and said, "Ok." He paused before walking into the alleyway and suggested, "Hey, we should all meet up next weekend under the tree."

"Yes! Great Idea!" Zero Two agreed excitedly.

Enjo smiled and said, "Ok, I'll be there." And as Hiro and Zero Two turned to leave she yelled, "Bye! Goodnight!"

Hiro looked at her, waving, and replied, "Bye!" then finally exited into the alleyway.

Zero Two repeated, "Bye!" and left.

They doors clanged shut behind them and they walked side by side back towards their apartments. They walked in silence through the thinning crowds of adults and children on the street. As the sun disappeared behind the tall buildings it was finally time for Hiro and Zero Two to part ways.

Before Zero Two walked away, Hiro mumbled, "Hey..." but his nerves stopped him from continuing.

She looked at him hopefully and said, "Huh? Did you say something?"

"No." He looked away shily and said, "Bye. See you next week."

"Oh... see you next week..." She sighed, turned, and walked away.

Hearing her deflated response awoke something inside Hiro, and before she got too far away, he ran after her, yelling, "Wait! Zero Two!"

She turned around and said exitedly, "Yes, darling?"

He caught up to her, and flustered, he said, "I-I just wanted to say thanks. Before yesterday I had no friends and now, because of you, I have two friends. I-I... Thanks." He watched her face worriedly as she shed a tear.

Suddenly, she hugged him and responded, "It should me who is thanking you, darling. Nobody ever puts up with me, even my mama and papa. You showed me your book, and came adventuring with me in the park for almost no reason. I-I feel like I could fly away with you. Thanks."

Tears wet both of their faces as they stood embracing in the street. After a while Zero Two said, "I should really get going now, my parents are going to yell at me if I'm out too late."

They said goodbye and parted ways, smiling and thinking of eachother as the daylight faded.

When the sun sank below the horizion, Hiro, Zero Two, and Enjo all laid in their beds and waited impaitiently for the weekend to come.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Hiro's week passed as usual. His parents worked during the day, so most of his days were filled by his caretaker, a nice lady with hazelnut colored hair. In the mornings she would tutor him with arithmetic, reading, and writing. After eating a quick lunch, the afternoons consisted of her dragging him around town running various errands, like buying groceries, getting the latest fancy technological gadget, or prancing around the clothing store as she gushed about him "Growing up so fast!" and leaving the place with four new pairs of jeans and a new shirt for every day of the week. Upon returning home is mother was usually back from work, lounging on the living room sofa watching the 5 o'clock news, a cup of tea cradled in her hands. His caretaker would put away the various things they had bought while they were out, and after a cheerful "Bye!", would leave. When the 5 o'clock news ended at 5:30, his mother would proceed to make dinner, and right as she finished, around 6:30, his father would walk in the door, yelling "I'm home!" and Hiro would run to the door to greet him and give him a hug. After setting down is briefcase he would pat Hiro on the head and ask how his day was. Hiro told him what he learned from his caretaker in the morning and where they went and bought in the afternoon. They would then walk to the dining table together where his mother was finishing setting the table. Over dinner his parents would discuss the news and engage in general small talk. Hiro would take a bath, go to bed, and then the next day would start.

When the weekend arrived, Hiro jumped out of bed as soon as the sun peeked above the horizon first thing in the morning, ready for something different. He grabbed a granola bar for breakfast and started for the door.

Before he could leave his mother yelled from the kitchen, "Wait!" She came out, apron still on, and asked, "Where are you going?"

Annoyed, Hiro said, "I'm going to play with my friends again, like I did last weekend."

She sighed and said, "Wait here a minute." She disappeared into the kitchen for a few seconds and came back with a small backpack in her hands. Smiling, she gave the bag to him and said, "I packed a few things for you. There's lunch, some of your toys-"

Hiro hastily interrupted her, "I've got to go mom, I'm gonna be late." Swinging the bag over his back he opened the door and started off toward the park.

He heard her yell from behind him, "Bye! Have fun!"

He yelled back, "Bye!" and broke into a run.

When Hiro arrived at the sakura tree, Zero Two was already waiting for him. He sat down beside her, once again out of breath. He heard someone call from above, "You're late!" and looked up to see Enjo sitting on the lowest branch of the tree.

"You guys must live closer to here than I do, I seriously came as fast as I could!" Hiro complained.

Zero Two chuckled, and looked around, "Anyways, what should we do today?"

Hiro shrugged.

Enjo pointed down at him and said, "What's in the bag?"

Hiro took the bag off his back and unzipped it. He listed off the items as he examined the contents of the bag, "There's a small ball, a frisbee, my lunch, a few books, and not much else."

Zero Two pointed to the books and said, "Read those! Like you did last week."

Hiro looked up at Enjo to ask if she was okay with that, but the enthusiasm in her eyes told him all he needed to know. He reached into his bag and pulled out one of the three picture books his mom had packed for him.

By the time he finished, Enjo had climbed down the tree and was watching intently over his shoulder, and Zero Two was sat directly beside him, lost in the vibrant colors of the pages. When he closed the book, the girls said in unison, "Read the next one!" and Hiro obliged.

Soon Hiro had finished all three books, and everyone's faces were full of wonder, their minds engulfed in the stories and the pictures that danced across the pages. As he returned the books to his bag the three resolved to play catch with the frisbee and the ball.

The park was now starting to host people talking morning walks or those on their way to the museum. The sun cloaked the city in a pleasant spring warmth, and birds sang to welcome a new day upon the world.

The toys flew between the three of them until late in the morning. People started bustling down the sidewalks, and the expanses of lush grass became filled with people having picnics or enjoying a day off. When the park became too crowded, Hiro, Zero Two, and Enjo decided to once again walk around the city, Enjo once again in charge.

When they left the park the city was already awake, adults all in a hurry to be somewhere else. The streets were much the same as they were the week before, and Enjo led Hiro and Zero Two on a walk up the river. The rich blue waters seemed to come from another world next to the sullen greys of the city streets and the immense towering buildings.

When the sun passed its midpoint in the sky, Zero Two sat on a bench and said, "Hey, aren't you guys hungry? We should get something to eat."

Hiro nodded in agreement and Enjo's stomach grumbled. "Lets go to Enjo's hideout and we can all share my lunch," Hiro suggested, "my mom always packs me too much food so there should be enough for the three of us."

Enjo and Zero Two agreed and they started to walk back towards Enjo's hideout. When they reentered the depths of the city, they came upon a boy their age who looked up and immediately locked eyes with Enjo. She stopped in her tracks, turned around, and pulled Hiro and Zero Two in the other direction.

"Hey, where are we going?" Zero Two asked.

Enjo retorted sharply, "We're taking a detour."

Only when they turned around they found two more boys standing in their way. Enjo once again grabbed Hiro and Zero Two and this time led them into a nearby alleyway.

"Enjo, what's going on?" asked Hiro.

They reached the end of the alleyway, which was a dead end. Frantically, Enjo replied, "Uh, just some people I'm not on the best terms with."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Said Zero Two as they turned around to see the three boys walking in from the street.

The boys' faces were swimming with anger. There was one in front who seemed to be a bit older, or at least quite a bit bigger. The two behind him were scrawny kids that basically dwelled in his shadow. The lager kid in the front puffed out his chest and yelled, "Were you planning on giving those back?"

 _"Did she steal something again?"_ Hiro immediately thought. He looked over to see Enjo staring down at her feet, and he knew. Not wanting any trouble, he stepped in between the kid and Enjo and said, "Hey, can't we just talk it out? Reach some sort of agreement?"

The kid's angry face contorted even further, and he huffed, "You can go talk it out over there, punk." He put his meaty hand on Hiro's chest and shoved him to the back wall of the alleyway.

After standing back up, Hiro contemplated, _"Should I really be defending Enjo if she stole something?"_ He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a scream come from Zero Two. She was pinned on the ground by the two smaller boys, and they had her arm around her back. Enjo had now been backed up against the end of the alleyway and stood next to Hiro.

Another painful scream from Zero Two clouded Hiro's thoughts. All he could think about was her voice ringing through his skull. His hands curled into fists, and one flew at the face that now stood in front of him. The large boy grinned, and put up his palm to catch the incoming punch, but his expression quickly turned to one of fear as the sheer power of Hiro's fist blasted through his hand and connected with his face.

Hiro knew the kid was out cold by the time his body hit the floor almost ten feet away. His comrades looked up in shock as his body flopped next to them. One pointed to Hiro and said with cowardice, "Look, his eyes are glowing! That kid's a monster!"

The other one looked and his face went pale. His voice trembling, he said, "L-lets get outta here!" They let go of Zero Two and scurried away, their buddy's limp body in their arms.

Zero Two stood up and brushed off her clothes. She yelled after them triumphantly, "Yeah! Thats right, you run away!"

Hiro only stood there and stared at his still clenched fist, not quite understanding what had happened. His mind was pulled back when he heard Enjo crying behind him. He looked at her, defeated and slumped on the ground. She looked up at him and sobbed, "I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened, it's all my fault."

Zero Two came and stood beside her. With a smile she pulled her up and said, "It's fine, lets continue on to your place and forget this happened, ok?"

Enjo nodded and followed her as they left the alleyway and headed towards her hideout. The whole way there she couldn't bear to look at Hiro, who followed behind them with a blank expression.

The blazing sun above made it difficult for Hiro to arrange his thoughts correctly. He only pushed past the swarming adults on the sidewalks in silence.

When they arrived, Zero Two shoved the two large doors inward and led them inside. She lit the candle sat on the table, and they all sat down with grim a grim mood spread around the dimly lit space.

In the cool of the room, Hiro was finally able to process what had happened in the alleyway.

After some time Enjo finally looked at Hiro and said, "I'm sorry I got you mixed up in my trouble again," tears started to run down her face again, "It's just that-"

He cut her off, "Don't worry about it, we're friends, we help eachother out, no matter what."

"Friends...?" she sniffed, and dried her damp face.

Zero Two butted in, "And you'd better not forget it!" A smile spread wide across her face, joy emanating through her voice.

Enjo let a laugh escape and they all smiled. Soon the boys in the alleyway had all but faded from their thoughts; soon Zero Two rummaged through Hiro's bag, taking out the small ball and initiating a game of hot potato.

The game stopped when a grumble came from Enjo's stomach again. Holding the ball she complained, "Why couldn't this be an actual potato? I'm starving." It seemed once again that Enjo had nothing to eat for lunch.

Pulling his own lunch out of his bag, Hiro suggested, "Here, you can have some of mine." With a smile he split the sandwich and handed her his apple sauce.

Zero Two also offered up some of her own lunch, which consisted only of lolipops and honey flavored granola bars. Enjo shyly accepted, then ravenously consumed the food she was given.

The rest of the day passed without any other special occasion. They found their fill of entertainment from the other various toys that were found in Hiro's bag. Also, Enjo provided some music for the day, this time playing on a violin. Eventually the sun grew closer to the horizon and it was time for Zero Two and Hiro to depart.

With a wave, Enjo said "Thanks again, you two." as they left.

Smiling and waving back, they said "No problem." together and closed the door.

They walked back side by side in silence, the activites of the day exhausted them past casual conversation. And yet something still bugged Hiro in the back of his mind.

Lost in thought, he mumbled to himself, "Did I do the right thing...?"

"Huh?" Zero Two inquired.

"Nothing, I was just wondering if there was a way that I didn't have to hit that kid so hard... maybe we could've talked it out or something."

"The kid picked a fight and lost, not your fault he was too dumb to use his words."

"I guess so..."

It was time for them to part ways, so he pushed the thought from his mind and said his goodbyes.

"See you tomorrow Darling!" yelled Zero Two bubbliy as she bounced down the sidewalk.

Hiro returned to his house, and when prodded about how his day was from his mother he answered "Nothing special." He ate dinner happily with his family and went to bed, excited for the days to come.


End file.
